Silent Wounds
by MiyoChan94
Summary: CliffXClaire Calire and Cliff are best friends. Will they be more than friends, or will someone go to any lengths to ruin that? (I own no rights to the harvest moon franchise or the fan art displayed
1. Chapter 1: Claire

Chapter 1: Claire

My name is Claire. I moved here to Mineral Town a year ago today, it's spring 1 year 2. I work as a farmer south of town, and I worked hard. When that snake Thomas showed me the farm it was a wreck. Rocks, branches, and weeds were all over the place. Then the house was so small it was cramped with just me and Buddy, my small dog. It wasn't the best but I got it all together in a year. I now own a horse, cow, chicken, and a sheep. I work to keep up with my crops, animals, and social life around town. I'm friends with everyone, but my best friend is Cliff.

I found him last winter passed out at Rose Plaza and helped him get to the clinic. There I heard his story about how he wasn't happy about where he was living and he went away for travel, but when he got home his mother died and his sister was gone. I told him everything was going to be fine and that he was a strong guy. After that day he visits the farm before going to work at the winery, but this morning was different.I woke up, harvested my honey, milked my cow, gathered eggs, and sheered the sheep. Then I gave them all, plus my horse and Buddy, a bath. He didn't come by this morning. In fact no one has. I wound up staring at the entrance to my farm for twenty minutes.

I blink my eyes at Buddy's sudden burst of energy. He's barking and spinning in circles. "What is it boy?" He looks toward the back entrance to the farm. I look with excitement but all that's there is a squirrel with a walnut in its mouth sitting on my wooden fence. I feel slightly disappointed, people visiting was the highlight of my day, my motivation to get me out of the farm for awhile. I sulk inside with Buddy at my heels. He jumps and curls up on the bed and sleeps. I don't feel like sleeping though. I bring out my broom and sweep up, then I do the dishes from last night and this morning. I look at the clock, its only eleven o'clock. I finally give up, move Buddy over, and take a nap.

This nap fells like I'm sleeping for ages, till I feel my body being shaken. "Claire." I hear someone's familiar quiet voice. I open my eyes to long shaggy hair and bluish-violet eyes.  
"Hey Cliff." I stretch my arms out and look at the clock, its almost six. Damn, I slept too long.  
"Hey um... come with me." He looks at me all innocently, which I knew he was hiding something.  
"Whhhhy?" I ask skeptically.  
"Please just come with me." He sounded so eager. Which wasn't normal even for him. Was something wrong?  
"Ok ok. Let me at least brush my hair."

I brush it out real fast and stand in front of him. He stares at my head for a moment and the moves to fix a piece. "Lets go." He grabs my wrist and rushes me out the door. His grip wasn't tight, but I didn't know where we were headed. He then takes me to the inn. My mind goes to a place it shouldn't. I shake my head to get those thoughts away.  
"What are we doing here Cliff?"  
"You'll see." He opens the door and everyone is there. They all look at me and yell; "Surprise!" I look at them all and smile. I look at Doug, the inn's owner.  
"What is this for?" I was really surprised.  
"Well you've been here a year and well, you had a big impact on our lives."  
"Thank you all!" I didn't know what else to say. Duke, the owner of the winery, is sitting at the bar having a drink.  
"Don't thank us." He says. His words are slurred but he's not quite drunk yet. "Thank Cliff. It was his idea." I turn to Cliff and hug him thanking him a million times. I feel a cold gaze on me. I turn around but no one is looking at me. Its just Mary and Ann talking. I shrug it off but I feel it through out the night.


	2. Chapter 2: Cliff's Surprise

Chapter 2: Cliff's Surprise

I talked to everyone I could, I talked to Doug and Duke, Anna, Manna, Sasha, and Lillia, Stu and May, I even talked to Pete, the farmer down the road. Everyone was happy and having fun, but Cliff seemed to be by himself. I walk over and sit next to him. "You organized the party. Why don't you have fun?"  
"I'm alright. I'm just glad you're having fun." He gives off this shy smile, almost like a child's smile. I cant help but smile at him. I kiss his cheek and he turns bright red. For some reason my heart sped up.  
"Thanks for doing all of this Cliff, really." I sounded more sincere than excited. "You thought about me. That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."  
"I-it was no big-" Before he could finish, Pete, Gray, and Rick loudly come over to the table and sits down. Doctor Trent on the other hand sits down as quietly as possible, which I respected.

The way they were acting you would think they were drunk, but they were sober and being rowdy, inconsiderate, boys. That's right BOYS! They are the reason im stressed out, I feel more like their babysitter than their friend. "Claaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaire~!" Pete says like he's being sweet.  
"What?" Im trying not to provoke them by being kind, instead my words were harsh and dull.  
"Are you and Cliff dating?" He was blunt and to the point. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks. I could feel Cliff shaking and trying to force words out. The inn was silent. "Well? Are you?" This time I heard something break. I turn my head towards the sound. Ann is picking up a tea cup and apologizing to Barley.

I didn't know what to say. I knew that we weren't and he just thought of me as a friend. But the question in itself caught me off guard. "N-No. Of course not. We are just friends." Without making things worse, I swallowed my surprise and said it as straight faced and calmly as possible. Everyone goes back to talking and drinking. Pete looks disappointed.  
"Aw man! I was hopin' for a better reaction." His face turned into a pout.

Ann walks over. "Excuse me Cliff. Can I talk to you?" She asks. Cliff stares at her for a moment.  
"Uhhhh sure." They walk off together. I stay with Pete and the other guys. Soon Karen, Mary, Elli, and Popuri join the conversation. I wasn't listening to what they were saying, all I could think about was Ann and Cliff walking away together. I don't understand why this is bother bothering me. Without realizing it Doug was talking to me.  
"Huh? Im sorry Doug I wasn't listening." He laughs a bit.  
"I said could you please go find Ann for me. I really need her."  
"Oh yeah. No problem."

I get up and walk up to Ann's room. I knock twice and I opened her door. When I opened it, my heart stopped. Ann had her arms wrapped around Cliff's neck and kissing him, and he was kissing her back. They look over at me. I could feel my stomach churn and the tears about to form. "Uh... Ann your dad wants you."  
"Oh ok!" She says cheerfully and walks past me. I look at Cliff.  
"So... uh... you and Ann huh?" I don't know why I felt like this, but it hurt.  
"Yeah. She confessed to me and next thing you know-"  
"Yeah. I get it." I didn't want him to finish. "I'm getting kinda tired. I'm gonna head home." I walk away before he could say anything. I could feel the tears on the brim of my eyes. I speed up down the stairs and out the door. I look up at the sky and one star is shining above the rest. The tears fall from my eyes and I walk towards the farm.


	3. Chapter 3: The Comfort

Chapter 3: The Comfort

I'm at the arch when I hear someone bellow my name. I turn and Pete is running for me. I make sure I don't look at him directly. I didn't want him to see me cry. "Claire?"  
"What?" I say coldly hoping he will back off.  
"You left so suddenly. Did something happen?"  
"No." My words had become sobs and I couldn't control my tears. Pete is in front of me and he lifts my chin up. I know Pete hates to see me cry. He bites his lip not knowing what to do. Like last month when I found Cliff passed out. I was crying when I walked out of the clinic and he gave me the same look.

Without talking, he leads me to my house and opens the door. Buddy jumps up and barks at us for a moment till he realizes its us. Pete sits me down and goes into the kitchen. I can hear him moving stuff around and setting it down, I just keep my eyes on the table. After awhile, he slides a plate of sliced apples drizzled with honey and hot milk. "Thanks Pete." I slowly eat the apples and milk. Pete has always been like a brother, when he wasn't goofing off with the guys. The first time I met him he was hitting on me, telling me I "Look hot in them overalls." I laugh recalling that incident. I slugged him for that. And some how we remained good friends.  
"Whats so funny?" He asks. I look at him, I felt I had a weird look on my face.  
"I remember the first time we met."  
"Ah." He rubs his left cheek. "I do too." We both laugh.

We sit in silence for a moment more before Pete spoke again. "Remember when you hit me with a shovel?"  
"Yes but that was your fault for scaring me."  
"I wasn't trying to." He laughs.  
"But you did and you paid for it." We exchanged stories all night. I finally laid down to sleep Pete told me good night and walked out. He did his best to comfort me. But I had the same dream over and over again. It was of Cliff and Ann.


	4. Chapter 4: The Clinic

Chapter 4: The Clinic

The past month has been lonely. Cliff doesn't come around anymore, and I haven't left my farm. Pete comes by occasionally, but its not enough motivation to leave. Only time I leave is to get supplies and rush back home. I don't want to see Ann and Cliff, I just couldn't handle it. Plus if Cliff doesn't want to be my friend he should just say so.

I'm on my way to Lillia's Farm when I run into Gray. "Hey Claire what are you doing around here?" More or less he was surprised to see me out of the house.  
"Just need some chicken feed. Ran out this morning."  
"I see. You don't look too good. You ok?"  
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."  
"Should I take you to the clinic?" Worry rose in his voice. I don't understand why.  
"No I'll go after I order my feed. Thank you though Gray."

I walk past him and to the farm. I felt strange all day but just getting from Gray's house to Lillia's exhausted me. I get there and I lean on the counter. Rick and Popuri is there. My stomach feels tight and I feel sick and dizzy. "Claire?" I hear Rick and I look at him.  
"Hey Rick I need five pounds of feed." I lay my money on the counter. I feel myself getting weaker.

Next thing I know I'm at the clinic. Trent is drawing my blood and Popuri is looking at me with concern. Trent looks at me sternly. "You're lucky you was around someone. You could have died today." I hear him but its like I'm not processing anything. I still feel too weak to move, I'm too weak to even talk. I see Trent is still talking, but I can no longer hear him. Then I'm out again. Into a long and lonely darkness.

I wake up to a shadow walking into my room. They sit beside me. I figured its Pete, but the person turns on my light. Its Cliff. All I can do is look away from him. "Claire." I still wont look at him. My eyes fill up with tears. "Claire please. I-I'm sorry for not coming around it's just Ann-"  
"Ann wont let you come around right? No I get it. She doesn't like me, you're my friend, she wants you by her side at all times right?"  
"Claire..." I must have been right on the money. He had this look of guilt.  
"If that's the case then why are you here?" I never realized how much I cared about him till Ann came into the picture. No not cared... how much I loved him. It felt too late now. There's nothing I can do, he's with Ann and he's happy, I could never destroy that. "You should go. She would get mad if she knew you was here." Everything was silent. I look over and he's gone. Tears pour like a waterfall down my face. I love him, but I will never admit it.


	5. Chapter 5: The Sleep Over

Chapter 5: The Sleep Over

The day after I passed out. I went for a walk. Cliff and Ann are on the other side of Rose Square. I walk to the beach, Kai is there fishing on the pier while Popuri, Karen, Mary, and Elli are playing in the water. "Hey Claire!" Kai waves me over to the pier. I walk over and sit next to him. The girls swim over. "How are ya Claire? I haven't seen you since last year." I hesitate before answering.  
"I-I could be better." Kai looks almost surprised at me, the other girls do as well.  
"Well, no one better to talk to than girls." Popuri states "After the beach we decided to go over to my house for a two day sleep over for my birthday. Why don't you join us?" I think about it for awhile and then I nod.  
"Sure. Let me go home and pack my things. I'll meet you here in about an hour."

I stand and rush to the house. I grab a bag and I fill it with two pair of night clothes, two changes of cloths, a bathing suit just in case, and a small wrapped up present for Popuri. I look at the time. I still have ten minutes left. Then I rush to the barn and make sure to triple the feed I give them. For this morning, tomorrow, and the day after. I pet them all goodbye, Buddy seemed sad when I left. I ran to the beach and found the others drying off. Popuri looked excited. "Yay! You're coming after all!" She says while hugging me.  
"Huh? I'm right on time though." I was utterly confused.  
"You are twenty minutes late." Karen states flatly as she dries her hair.  
"Im sorry!" I bow my head a few times.  
"Its ok." Popuri says with a smile. "We just got out of the water anyways so you have to wait a little while anyways."

I sit in the sand. Its the first time I've ever been included with anything and yet I still felt so far away. Maybe it's because I'm nothing like these girls. They can feel confidant in almost anything, while I prance around in muddy overalls. Maybe we are just too different. Popuri calls for me and we head over to her farm. I see Rick over in the fields, he nods to me respectfully and continues working. We walk upstairs and put on our night clothes, I needed a bath but I just put my hair up in a bun and slipped on my night dress. They all sat in a circle and I sat on my pile of blankets. "So Kai gave me a flower today in celebration of my birthday!" Popuri says excitedly.

The girls start chatting when something caught my attention. "Did you hear that Cliff and Ann broke up?" Karen says. I listen closely. Mary gasps.  
"Oh my goddess no! What happened?!" All the girls listened in and I found myself in the group.  
"Well apparently Cliff told her that she was being too controlling and that he was in love with someone else!"  
"Oh my. That must be crushing to her." Elli says.  
"Not really. Cliff told me that even though they broke it off Ann still introduces him as her boyfriend, and thy broke up last night." I feel a little relived but still a bit sad. He loves someone else? Who could he love? I sigh and cover myself for a long sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: The Make Over

Chapter 6: The Make Over

The next day we all gathered downstairs for Popuri's party. Her mom made a cake and the guys where there for the second part for her sleep over. Well, everyone except for Cliff and Ann. I watch her open her gifts. I wanted to give her my gift personally so I didn't make anyone feel bad. She got cute cloths and accessories. Her door opens and Cliff stands there. "S-sorry I'm late. I had something to deal with." He looked like he ran all the way here. He hands her a box. "Here, this is from Duke, Manna, and myself." She opens it and a beautiful opal necklace is inside. She puts it on right away.  
"Thank you Cliff!" She turns and shows Kai. Pete stands next to me.  
"So are you feelin better?" He asks.  
"Yeah." I smile a bit. He looks disappointed. "What?"  
"That aint your usual smile. Come on. Smile for me?"  
"Are you crazy? Did you hit your head Pete?" He laughs for a moment.  
"Yeah I must have." He looks over at Cliff and he slyly, well tries to be, pushes Cliff over toward me. Almost as if to say 'Kiss and make up'.

Cliff looks at me shyly and guiltily. "Im sorry Cliff." I said suddenly. "I was angry and tired and..." I couldn't get my words out.  
"No im sorry... I should have seen what Ann was doing. Ann didn't really love me. It was an obsession, and she wanted me all for herself." We stand silently for awhile. "I want to make it up to you. Let me take you to dinner." I feel every single drop of blood rush to my face.  
"HUH?!" I was surprised.  
"Please. How about this Friday night?"  
"O-Ok." My brain has stopped working. I stood there in a daze for like ten minutes. Popuri broke my daze.  
"Hey Claire!" I look at her and shake my head.  
"H-huh?"  
"We are all upstairs. Come on."

I follow her up and they all pounce me. "What's that for?"  
"We wanna give you a make over!" She sits me in a chair.  
"You could have just asked." They keep putting cloths up to me and making me try them on. They finally choose a outfit for me and sit me back into the chair. I've never wore make up in my life so all this pulling on my face and stuff going near my eye was weird and painful. Then they brushed my hair about a thousand times before styling it. "Are you done yet?" She made me shut my eyes.

She gently glides the brush over my eyelid. "Yeah. Now im done." The girls stand back and look at me from a distance.  
"Wow Claire! Is that really you?" Mary looks at me in awe. Elli is clapping her hands.  
"You look wonderful!"  
"Maybe we should move yours and Cliff's date to tonight!" Popuri says with a smirk.  
"Its not a date and how did you find out about that?!"  
"We all heard him ask you."  
"Its not a date!" She just smiles and shoves me out the door. What have I gotten into?


End file.
